This invention relates to electronic gaming devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to a process for generating a plurality of gaming card arrays, each formed of a plurality of symbols positioned in predetermined symbol display locations, in a plurality of remote devices connectable to a main station.
Gaming cards are used in bingo and similar games of chance, wherein the individual elements of the cards are covered by respective players pursuant to numbers generated by a random number generating device, as by drawing numbers from a hat. In bingo, for example, the gaming card is in the form of, normally, a 5.times.5 array of numbers, with the centermost location being blank or termed a "free space". The game is generally played with 75 or 90 numbers, where each column in the array is limited to one-fifth of the numbers: e.g., if the selected numbers are to range from 1 to 75, then the first column numbers are taken from the group 1 to 15; and if the selected numbers are to range from 1 to 90, then the numbers in the first column will range from 1 to 18. In a similar fashion, the second column of numbers are taken from the group 16 to 30 or the group 19 to 36, as the case may be, and so on. There are no duplicate numbers on the gaming card.
Before the commencement of a game, the operator specifies what constitutes a winning pattern on the gaming card. The specified pattern may be in the form of an X, T, L, a diagonal line, a horizontal line, a vertical line, four corners, and so on. Game participants attempt to achieve the specified pattern by matching the randomly-drawn numbers with the numbers on their game cards.
For instance, in one game a winning pattern may be a diagonal line and the randomly-drawn number may be in the range from 1 to 75. If a number drawn coincides with a number on the player's board, the player marks the position on his board. The first player to have board markings which coincide with the winning pattern is the winner of the game.
Several of these games, normally between 12 and 18, constitute a bingo program or session. Such an event is normally played over the course of several hours. Aside from an occasional intermission, the games are usually played consecutively and without significant interruption.
Historically, these games have been played with gaming cards formed of paper boards containing printed numerical arrays. These gaming cards are distributed at the beginning of a gaming session. Players select from a large number of boards, and will often play a number of boards during a single game.
Electronic gaming boards have been developed to overcome limitations inherent in traditional paper bingo cards, and also to enhance play where bingo players may want to play a greater number of cards simultaneously. The electronic boards can display the shape of the winning pattern to be formed from randomly-called numbers and signal the player when a winning array has been achieved. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,365,810; 4,848,771; 4,798,387; 4,747,600 and 5,043,887, the disclosures of said patents being expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Even with the improvements brought about by electronic gaming boards, the play during a bingo gaming session has become much more complex. More and different types of games are being played today than just the five across, up or down of the traditional bingo game. Specialized win patterns for each game are becoming commonplace, and it is difficult to provide a multiplicity of patterns on electronic gaming boards by using individual select switches because of the large number of possible patterns.
Often times there are multiple win patterns or levels that build to a final payoff. For example, the final win pattern may be three completely filled horizontal bars comprising the first, third and fifth rows of a card. The first level win pattern may be the fifth row, the second level win pattern may be the fifth and first rows, and the third level win pattern or final payoff is given to the first player to completely fill all three bars.
Game participants will generally play several game cards at a time. It is advantageous to the operator of a gaming session to accommodate such inclination in order that he may sell as many game cards as possible, but additional game cards create control and audit problems. Previously, the operator of a gaming session has been without any knowledge of the actual cards being used by the respective participants. Moreover, the participants must locate entries on a number of cards and simultaneously watch for the winning pattern. If the winning pattern varies from game to game, the task can become truly formidable, resulting in an inefficient gaming operation. To retain control, the operator of the gaming session must be able to maintain an accurate record of the cards which have been sold throughout the course of an evening.
The increased volume of card sales demands a more efficient distribution mechanism. Existing electronic gaming boards require players to input numbers laboriously into their gaming boards, or to wait as a random number generator fills their cards. This procedure is time-consuming, precluding additional card sales. Many of these needs have been addressed in the disclosure found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,887.
There is a continuing need, however, for electronic gaming boards which provide quick and easy means by which the gaming operator can provide large numbers of gaming cards, as well as complex gaming schedules, to gaming boards. A gaming system which is designed to improve the efficiency of a typical bingo gaming session should provide gaming boards which cannot be changed. Furthermore, the boards should be designed for quick, easy verification of winning claims. In order to more efficiently load gaming cards into a gaming board, it would be preferable to eliminate unneeded tasks now performed at the main station or central processing unit, and delegate those tasks, to the extent possible, to be performed at the individual gaming boards themselves. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.